


The Greatest Show

by Faye_Claudia



Series: Where the Runaways are Running the Night [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Hiccup runs away, Inspired by The Greatest Showman (2017), Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 19:11:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15735627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faye_Claudia/pseuds/Faye_Claudia
Summary: "It's fire, it's freedom, it’s flooding open"





	The Greatest Show

Everyone’s watching Hiccup in utter silence as he faces the Monstrous Nightmare. Astrid thinks that the tension could be cut with a knife as Hiccup - sans helmet, sans weapons - stands with his hand outstretched.

 

As the dragon shifts closer to Hiccup, and the scrawny Viking, or rather, not-Viking, looks calm and serene and Astrid realises that he’s in his element. It’s a revelation as powerful as the one she had while riding on the back of the Night Fury. Hiccup was always meant to befriend dragons. This is who he is and who he will always be.

 

Stoick slams his hammer against the metal bars caging the dragon and Hiccup in, and the Monstrous Nightmare jumps back, aflame.

Astrid forces her way into the ring, doing her best to get Hiccup out - he can’t be what he’s meant to be if he doesn’t survive, but she’s too late and the Night Fury is suddenly there, protecting Hiccup, roaring at Vikings and dragon alike, daring anyone to try and hurt his friend.

 

There’s no way for Hiccup to get out of this safe - no way for the village to forgive him after this. So Astrid makes a snap decision, probably the dumbest decision she’s ever made in her life. She lets the Deadly Nadder out of its cell while the rest of the village is still focussed on the Night Fury and Monstrous Nightmare, hoping that it won’t kill her.

It doesn’t. It faces her, it’s large nostrils flaring as it sniffs at her, unarmed and small, it must decide she’s not a threat, and then it flaps it’s enormous wings, and it storms into the arena. She lets out the terrible terrors next, and then the Gronkle, the Zippleback. They’re all out now, and Hiccup seems to have grasped her plan, because he’s mounting Toothless, and reaching for Astrid. The village will hold her responsible if he leaves, she realises, and before she’s even thought everything through, she’s gripping Hiccup’s hand and is swinging herself through the air and landing on Toothless’ back.

 

“Sorry, Dad.” Hiccup says, so softly, she doubts Chief Stoick heard. And then they’re flying through the air, the other dragons trailing after them, the villagers hurling insults and weapons up at them that Hiccup and Toothless evade or ignore.

 

One word follows her, through the air and pierces her heart more effectively than the mace that only just misses the deadly nadder would.

 

_“Traitor!”_

 

_“Our parents’ war is about to become ours, figure out which side you’re on.”_ Her own words haunt her. She's on the wrong side.

 

_“Everything we know about them is wrong.”_

 

Shoving all intrusive thoughts aside, she watches as the Nadder breathes a long stream of magnesium fire into the air, and grins despite everything. The air is whipping her hair loose from her braid and stinging her cheeks, and as the adrenaline in her system from the ring finally registers, she lets out a whoop of exhilaration, one that Hiccup echoes in front of her.

 


End file.
